A TOP Premier Division boss has launched a stinging attack on Welsh rugby's top brass.

Bedwas chairman Peter Rawlins has slammed the WRU for allowing neighbours Caerphilly to be included in the Gwent Dragons rugby structure while their director of rugby, Terry Cobner, claims there are too many Premier sides in the county.

Rawlins has also joined the row over some clubs receiving help from the Dragons while others have not, claiming Bedwas have had almost no assistance.

In his club's match programme last weekend, Rawlins said: "Our friends in Caerphilly have had players this season from Gwent Dragons when almost every one of our requests for assistance has been refused.

"Aren't they a Mid-District Club and not part of Gwent as we are?"

Rawlins, chairman at Bedwas for ten years, claims that, when the matter as raised with Cobner, 'he explained that Caerphilly . . . has been 'annexed' into the development structure of the Gwent Dragons by the WRU'.

Rawlins continued: "Nice of them to let us all know. What came next was the most shocking of all.

"The WRU's director of rugby said 'the problem is we've got too many Premier League sides in Gwent'.

"This from a man who was part of the Pontypool legend and who should know just how hard we have worked to get here.

"The writing is on the wall. If we can't do it for ourselves, we can expect little or no help from the structure of which we form a part.

"From what Mr Cobner said, we probably already had too many Premier clubs in Gwent before annexing Caerphilly to make it up to seven out of 16, so why bother?

"If Gwent want Caerphilly, they can have them. I'd rather be part of Cardiff than Gwent anyway. What about a little self-determination."

Rawlins, a former Cardiff lock, said that Bedwas had had talks in the early 1990s in the hope that they could be a feeder club to Newport, but nothing had materialised.

Cobner declined to comment on the matter today while WRU general manager Steve Lewis was unavailable to talk.